Over 5000 people chose Programme Job Digital Lab during the health emergency to discover new professional opportunities. Conceived by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and ING Italia, the project provided free training on digital skills to fragile workers, along with an enterprise support project for women with innovative ideas. Today, the final event will present the stories of some of the protagonists and addresses by Alessio Miranda, Country Manager, ING Italia; Mirta Michilli, Director General, Fondazione Mondo Digitale, and Dewi van de Weerd, Deputy Ambassador for the Netherlands in Italy.
Fabio, 49, lives in Milan, where he has been working as a designer for over 25 years. He is looking for a new company after having lost his job during the lockdown. Patricia, 47, lives in Catania. The lockdown forced her to suspend activities at her Pilates Centre. She is now looking to start a new company to produce cosmetics from wine production waste material. “We often take refuge in our comfort zones, while this is just the moment to find the energy to reinvent oneself and learn new things,” explains Patricia.
Fabio and Patricia are just two of the 5000 individuals who chose Programme Job Digital Lab, promoted by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and ING Italia, to find new opportunities for growth and professional training. Formats and virtual classes allowed the participants to acquire skills that are readily sought on the labour market, along with professional academies on enabling technology and professions of the future. The project provided free training to NEETs, unemployed adults, and individuals in search of requalification and professional updating. From sessions on how to put together an efficient digital CV to present to companies and employment agencies, to digital marketing and tourism 4.0 to increase market opportunities, with a special focus on fragile workers who were especially penalised by the health emergency.
“Job Digital Lab is a concrete answer to the challenges of a job market in constant flux. The last year and a half have helped us understand better than ever before the importance of non-cognitive skills, such as character skills, to proactively face unexpected situations and stress with determination, giving us the opportunity to get back in action at any age,” declared Mirta Michilli, Director General of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale. “During the past months, we have begun to drive our country’s recovery through participation and inclusion.”
Between 2020 and 2021, Job Digital Lab provided 5114 individuals with 60 educational sessions and over 90 hours of on-line training; 23 women received support for their entrepreneurial projects. The sessions were held virtually by Fondazione Mondo Digitale coaches and ING employees, who provided their expertise and time for role modelling activities. A video on the stories of some of the protagonists is available at: https://youtu.be/Nb9ZYwJN5t4.
“Only 20% of Italians participate in training activities and only 4 out of 10 possess basic digital skills that are increasingly important for every one of us,” explains Alessio Miranda, Country Manager, ING Italia. “At ING, we wish to play a positive role in this transformation, not just for clients and colleagues, but also towards society. So, we have invested in one of the most precious things there is: education and development, providing people with the tools to take a step ahead in a world in rapid evolution. We are very proud about having reached out to over 5000 individuals, creating greater opportunities for professional reinsertion and greater digital awareness.”
